Virgil van Djik has warned Manchester City they face a second European nightmare at the hands of Liverpool’s first line of ­defence – Roberto Firmino.

Liverpool’s £75million Dutch defender has singled out Brazilian striker Firmino for the defensive work that helped Jurgen Klopp’s men overcome shell-shocked City in the Champions League.

And as Liverpool head to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday to try to seal a semi-final place after their stunning 3-0 first-leg victory at Anfield, Van Dijk reckons Pep Guardiola’s stars won’t fancy another dose of Firmino’s lung-busting selfless sacrifice.

Asked if he took ­satisfaction from shutting out a City side who did not muster a shot on target, Van Dijk said: “I don’t take any personal credit for that.

“We all do it together. It starts from the front. If we do it from the front, then obviously we don’t need to be in trouble at the back.

“Having forwards like ours is just amazing. Not just attacking-wise, but also defensively. They do so much work. Look at Bobby Firmino. It is a nightmare to play against him.

“I can say that myself because I played against him at the ­beginning of the season.

“It starts from Bobby and the boys in attack. If the midfield do it as well, then you are not going to be in trouble ­– you may even have an easy night.”

That’s unlikely to happen if Guardiola gets his way.

But goals from Mo Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane have seen Liverpool take a giant stride towards the semi-­finals for the first time since they were beaten by Chelsea ­exactly 10 years ago, with Manchester United winning the ­final in Moscow.

Liverpool cruised past City in the first leg of their tie (Image: REUTERS)

It was an outstanding performance from the Reds (Image: PA)

Van Dijk said: “Obviously the moments in the first half when we scored were vital, but it was how we reacted under pressure from City in the second half that makes me proud.

“The support at Anfield was amazing and it gave us the extra push in the second half, ­particularly the last 20 minutes – encouraging us to keep going, keep organising and keep clearing our lines.

“We were struggling but ­everyone worked hard, kept together and made sure we had a clean sheet.